Gouda Burgers with Bacon Onion Jam

Today’s burgers may just blow your mind. Homemade burger patties, smoky gouda cheese and that amazing bacon onion jam from last week all combine on a toasted English muffin to create a unique and incredibly delicious burger.

Let me tell you a little story. A love story perhaps. Back in the summer of 2012 we were in Florida spending our last few hours on the beach and searching for one last delicious vacation meal before heading home. We did a little research and decided on a burger place and that is where the story gets good. I had one of the most delicious burgers I’ve ever had and it was served on an English muffin. I don’t remember exactly what was on it but the English muffin always stood out and I knew I had to recreate a burger like it at home. So I put it on my to-make list and there it sat for 4 1/2 years. Whoops.

I saw onion jam at the store recently and I don’t know why but that English muffin burger popped into my head and this delicious creation was born. If you read last week, you saw that I decided to make the onion jam from scratch and add bacon since it makes everything better. You can find the recipe for it here.

So I got to thinking about what cheese would go well with the tanginess of the sourdough and the sweet, smoky bacon onion jam and gouda was my immediate choice. It lends another level of smokiness and melts into stringy perfection. Let me tell you, it was a good idea. And I kicked myself for waiting so long to make it at home.

Let’s take a second here to talk about what kind of ground beef to use when making burgers. I know it’s the beginning of a new year and everybody wants to be healthy but please, for the love, do not use lean ground beef in a burger. It will taste like a hockey puck and make you want to cry tears of sadness for what it could have been. When you are making burgers, you just have to use 80/20.

Serve a kale salad on the side to balance it out. You like my logic, right?

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Divide meat into 4 equal balls and flatten each into rounds a bit bigger than your English muffins. Season each side with salt and pepper. Place burgers in skillet and cook until browned and caramelized, about 3-4 minutes per side.

While the burgers are still in the skillet spread with 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon onion jam each. Top each with a slice of gouda and allow to melt.

Spread the bottom of each English muffin with 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon onion jam. Spread the top halves with mayo, if using. Place burgers on English muffin and enjoy.